{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E8F1801D-2E18-40A5-9D12-298674E4CC39", "Overdue Defense Legislation Deserves a Robust, Bipartisan Senate Floor Process", "2021-11-15", "2021", "2021-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding NDAA:\n\n\u201cLast week, I had the honor of spending Veterans Day at the groundbreaking ceremony for Louisville\u2019s new VA hospital.\n\n\u201cWe are finally going to replace the city\u2019s original VA medical center that was built almost 70 years ago. Kentucky veterans are going to get new, expanded options for the cutting-edge treatment they deserve.\n\n\u201cThis long-awaited groundbreaking was a special day for Kentucky and our heroes.\n\n\u201cBut for me, the celebration also underscored how unfortunate and unacceptable it is that, when it comes to our legislative duties here in Washington, this Democratic Senate majority is coming up short on supporting our servicemembers past, present, and future.\n\n\u201cToday is November 15th. The full Senate should have considered, amended, and then passed an annual defense authorization bill months ago. That\u2019s how it normally works. It\u2019s a major bipartisan priority that the Senate majority focuses on, as a matter of basic governance.\n\n\u201cBut this unified Democratic government has been distracted from the people\u2019s business. They\u2019ve spent months behind closed doors, putting together another reckless taxing and spending spree. And this obsession with party-line wish lists has led Democrats to drop the ball on basic duties.\n\n\u201cKeeping our servicemembers and our commanders waiting months for an NDAA is just one example. The Democratic majority has also completely dropped the ball on a bipartisan appropriations process.\n\n\u201cAnd by the way, President Biden\u2019s proposals for funding the government would have us cut defense funding after inflation.\n\n\u201cAccording to reports, China recently tested a hypersonic vehicle that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Just this morning, according to some early press reports, Russia may have tested some kind of new anti-satellite weapon system.\n\n\u201cIn the Middle East, President Biden\u2019s own advisors are saying that his rushed retreat from Afghanistan will open the door for a terrorist resurgence.\n\n\u201cIt is against this dangerous backdrop that our Democratic majority does not move an NDAA until mid-November\u2026 and President Biden doesn\u2019t want defense funding to keep pace with President Biden\u2019s inflation.\n\n\u201cWell, Madam President, better late than never.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad the Democratic Leader says he will finally let the full Senate consider an NDAA in the coming days.\n\n\u201cThe Senate will need to have the kind of robust, bipartisan floor process that is customary for this important bill and we\u2019ll need to leave extraneous items on the sidelines.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:30:49Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E8F1801D-2E18-40A5-9D12-298674E4CC39"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.056294120848179, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}